Plaid Shirts & Grey Scarves
by sparksfly16
Summary: Lucas isn't quite sure what exactly he's l he knows is that Maya is by the window in the Matthews' apartment, throwing heart-eyes at Riley's uncle, Josh, and he doesn't like it. Not one bit. Jealous Lucas! Part of series of Lucaya one-shots!
1. All Too Well

**Author's Note: **Hi everyone! This is my first every Lucaya story, and even though I don't think they'll end up together on the show (sad face), I can always live out my fantasies here :) Anyway, all the characters are now 18 years-old and starting off their first year of college. This one-shot is inspired by the song All Too Well by Taylor Swift, which is an AMAZING song! You should all definitely listen to it as you read this one shot :) I hope you like it!

**Disclaimer: **I sadly do not own Girl Meets World, or else Maya and Lucas would definitely be endgame!

* * *

"_After plaid shirt days and nights when you made me your own__  
__Now you mail back my things and I walk home alone__  
__But you keep my old scarf from that very first week__  
__'Cause it reminds you of innocence and it smells like me"_

_-All Too Well, Taylor Swift_

* * *

"What's that?"

Riley watched as Maya carried a medium-sized cardboard box into their new dorm room at NYU.

"No clue," Maya replied simply. "The mailroom sent me a text that they had a package for me, and when I got there, this puppy was waiting for me."

"There's no return address," Riley noted, inspecting the box. "Someone must have dropped it off while we were in class. Do you think your mom bought you that new art set?"

Maya snorted incredulously and kneeled down next to the box. "I doubt it. Money's still a little tight right now."

Cautiously, she unpeeled the packaging tape and peered inside the box. "Oh," she said softly, "…it's from Lucas."

"Lucas?" Riley frowned confusedly. "What would he need to send you?"

"My things," Maya remarked, voice still in shock. "It's all here: my old sketchbooks, my beanies, c.d.s."

Riley's eyes widened. "He sent your stuff back? Wow, that's…big."

Maya's gaze remained fixed on the contents of the box. "Yeah."

"It's really all there?" Riley asked, moving towards her best friend.

"Looks like it." Maya snapped out of her stupor to rifle through the box. "Wait, my grey scarf is missing."

"Are you sure Lucas had it?" Riley questioned gently.

"Yeah, I let him keep it one day after he said it reminded him of me," Maya explained.

"Do you want me to call Farkle and ask him to get it from Lucas?" Riley offered.

Maya waved her hand dismissively. "No, it's fine. I still have one of his flannels in the back of my closet, so now we're even. Thanks though."

"Maya." Riley looked at her friend resolutely. "I can see on your face that you still love Lucas. Why don't you just get back together with him?"

"Because it doesn't matter how I feel," Maya answered voice hollow. "Lucas deserves someone better. He deserves someone like you."

Riley sat up straighter. "Maya, you know I don't like him like that anymore. I'm with Farkle and–"

"I know," Maya replied. "But realistically, Lucas is going to be a doctor, and I'm going to be what? A street artist depending on him for all my money? I saw my mom go down that exact same road, and believe me, it got real old, real fast. I may share her DNA, but that doesn't mean I have to share her bad choices."

Before Riley could argue with her, Maya stood up, dumped her belongings onto the floor, and walked out the door to dispose of the box.

"I really hope she doesn't set that on fire," Riley muttered to herself before reaching to pick up Maya's things.

* * *

Just a few floors above, Lucas was laying on his own bed in the dorm room he shared with Farkle, trying not to picture Maya as she opened the box he had left for her.

Would she be sad? Angry? Relieved?

He hadn't wanted to send her stuff back, but seeing it all around him every day and remembering all they'd used to have was just too much.

So one lowly Saturday, when he'd been feeling particularly depressed and spiteful, he'd boxed it all up and delivered it to the mailroom.

Well…almost all of it.

Lucas glanced over at the grey scarf draped on his bedpost corner and sighed. He knew he should have sent it back, but somehow he just couldn't.

Maybe it was the fact that she'd let him keep it when they were still together, or maybe it was that it still smelled like her. That when he closed his eyes, he could still picture her laughing, eyes shining happily without a care in the world.

Suddenly, a knock on the door startled Lucas from his thoughts, and he lumbered over to open the door.

The face that greeted him made his heart lift automatically. "Maya?"

"Howdy, cowboy."

* * *

**A/N: **Ta-da! Please review :) And leave any song suggestions for future chapters!


	2. Better Than Revenge

**Author's Note: **Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU so much for the amazing response to my first one-shot! A lot of people requested a follow-up, and I'll be honest, I don't currently have any plans to add onto that one, but if a song gives me enough inspiration, I definitely will! Now for today's one-shot, the characters are all back to their ages on the show. Happy reading :)

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own Girl Meets World, but I have a pink calculator!

* * *

_"Soon she's gonna find, stealing other people's toys_  
_On the playground won't make you many friends,_  
_She should keep in mind_  
_She should keep in mind_  
_There is nothing I do better than revenge"_

_-_Better Than Revenge, Taylor Swift

* * *

"Did I just see Missy hand you a note?"

Maya plopped her lunch tray down next to Lucas and stared at the piece of paper on the table suspiciously.

"Yeah." Lucas nodded and unfolded the note for Maya to see, reading it out loud.

"_Lucas, I noticed your study buddy is out today, and I could really use some help on the history project. Meet me in the library at 3. Alone. I'd be so grateful, and I'd owe you big time! XOXO, Missy."_

Maya crumbled up the note angrily and tossed it on the floor. "Wow, Riley's out sick one day, and Missy's already making her move. Man, that girl moves fast!"

"Aw." Lucas smirked amusedly. "You're jealous."

Maya whipped her head toward Lucas with an alarming amount of speed. "Excuse me?"

Lucas frowned confusedly. "For Riley," he elaborated carefully. "You're jealous in Riley's place."

"Oh, yeah." Maya relaxed immensely, and focused her death glare back on Missy. "And if Riley _were_ here, I think she'd say Missy needs a little payback."

Lucas glanced at Maya's smirking face warily. "No, she wouldn't," he remarked quickly, trying to deter her away from whatever she was thinking of doing. "She'd throw the note away and then 'boop' my nose when Missy was looking."

"Well, I don't 'boop,'" Maya said decisively. "I avenge."

"Slow down there, Black Widow. What are you planning?" Lucas asked, fearful of the answer.

"Nothing," she sing-songed. "By the way, do you have a lasso I could borrow?"

Lucas groaned. "Promise me you won't do anything to Missy."

"Calm down, Bucky boy," Maya replied. "I won't do anything to her."

Lucas looked at her dubiously. "Hart…"

"What?" she asked innocently. "I promise."

* * *

Later that day, Lucas was at his locker when he heard an ear-piercing screech.

He turned to see what was causing the commotion, and nearly dropped his jaw at the scene in the hallway.

The one and only Missy Bradford was standing in front of her own locker, covered in shaving cream from the chest up.

"WHO DID THIS?!" she shrieked, stomping her foot indignantly at all the people gawking at her.

Mr. Matthews and the art teacher arrived on the scene just as Missy was about to have a full-on meltdown.

"Alright, Ms. Bradford, let's go get you some paper towels." Mr. Matthews paused and took in the full effect of Missy's shaving-cream-soaked appearance. "Actually, maybe a whole box would be better."

"You're going to find out who did this, right?!" Missy questioned as she was shepherded up to the nurse's office.

"Oh, I bet I can guess," Lucas muttered to himself.

Just then, a certain blonde wandered over to his locker, blue eyes wide with concern.

"Oh my, what happened here?" Maya asked him over-dramatically. "It looks like a most terrible accident has occurred."

"Accident, huh?" Lucas smirked and leaned against his locker. "I thought you said you weren't going to do anything to Missy?"

"I didn't," Maya insisted. "Her locker on the other hand…I never promised to not do anything to that."

Lucas laughed at the slyness of Maya's logic. Technically, she was right. "How'd you even manage to do that to her locker?" he asked.

"Simple." Maya shrugged nonchalantly. "I watched Missy open her locker after lunch so I knew the combination. Then I just pressurized the shaving cream cans to go off the next time she opened her locker–it's basic physics."

Lucas looked at her in a mixture of fear and awe. "You are really scary sometimes.

Maya smiled widely. "I'm taking that as a compliment."

Lucas grinned back at her. "It was."

* * *

**A/N: **Yah! I figured everyone deserved something lighter after the feelsplosion that was that first one-shot. Let me know what you think!


	3. Fearless

**Author's Note: **Everyone is still the same age as they are on the show in today's one-shot! And before we get started, fan-girl moment right now, but how cute were Lucas and Maya in Girl Meets Crazy Hat?! I love that Lucas was able to convince Maya to do the "right" thing. I really hope this means the writers are planning Lucaya as endgame :) Fingers crossed! Also my favorite extra got her own lines in the new episode, and she was amazing :)

**Disclaimer: **No Girl Meets World here, or else we would have seen Maya meeting Lucas's mom.

* * *

_"And I don't know how it gets better than this_  
_ You take my hand and drag me head first_  
_ Fearless"_

-Fearless, Taylor Swift

* * *

"Well it's official." Maya peered over the edge of the Ferris wheel and looked down at the people 50 feet below her. "We're stuck up here."

"They'll get us down soon, right?" Lucas asked shakily.

Maya frowned and turned towards Lucas questioningly. "You okay there, cowboy?"

"I'm fine," he said, gripping the safety rail tightly.

"Seriously?" Maya raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Because you look whiter than Mr. Matthews when Riley asked him if she could wear eye-shadow."

Lucas gulped and shook his head slightly. "It's embarrassing."

Maya looked over at him dubiously. "Were you or were you not there when everyone found out my great-grandmother's last name was Clutterbucket? I think we're even."

"Fine." Lucas took a deep breath and started to say something just as a small breeze rocked their cart, causing him to let out a small "eep."

"You're afraid of heights," Maya realized.

Lucas could only nod his confirmation, trying desperately to ignore the dizzy feeling that was taking over. He really wished Riley was here with him right now. Riley would hold his hand and tell him everything was going to be okay, whereas Maya would…

...punch him in the arm.

"Ow!" he yelped. "What was that for?"

"Why did you offer to go with me on the Ferris wheel if you're afraid of heights, you dummy?" she asked.

Lucas scratched his head nervously. "I don't know. It's all you've been talking about for the last two weeks, and Riley and Farkle didn't want to go, so I thought I would go with you."

Maya stared at him intently, as if she was debating something in her mind. Finally, she said, "What's your favorite color?"

"What?" Lucas asked incredulously.

"Mine's orange," she remarked. "Like the kind in the sunset. I can still remember the first sunset I ever saw. My dad took me to the beach and put me on his shoulders, and even though it was way past my bedtime, we stayed until it was pitch black."

Lucas was speechless for a moment, shocked that the usually very private Maya Hart has willingly shared something so personal.

"I like blue," he said eventually.

Maya nodded at this information. "When was the last time you went to a fair?"

"Not since my mom and I moved here," he replied. "We used to have one every week back in Texas. And before you say it, no, it wasn't because my family was a bunch of circus freaks."

Maya smirked amusedly. "Actually Ranger Rick, I was going to say look down."

"No way," Lucas declared. "That makes it worse."

"Just look." Maya smiled.

Slowly, Lucas lowered his eyes and saw the terrifying look of the…grass.

He turned towards her in disbelief, "We're on the ground?"

"Yup," she said, smiling wider.

"But, how did I not feel us moving?" he asked in disbelief.

"I distracted you," she explained. "It's something my mom taught me when I was little and scared of thunderstorms. You just talk until it's over."

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

"No problem," she replied. "But you owe me a snow cone, cowboy."

"It would be my pleasure, Miss Clutterbucket," he replied with a smirk.

Maya glared at him and he laughed, tipping his imaginary cowboy hat towards her, before following her to their friends.

On second thought, maybe he didn't need Riley after all.

* * *

**A/N: **Let me know what you think! I forgot to mention this little one-shot was based on a Tumblr prompt I received that said "Local fair, Ferris wheel, they get stuck, feelings come out." Sorry only about 3/4 of those came true! Now, who's ready for the Halloween episode? I really hope we get some Lucas/Maya!


	4. Human

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! Thanks for all the awesome reviews to the last three chapters! I really hope you like this one–it's one of my favorites so far. (And this song just randomly came on my IPod so I'm taking that as a good sign!). Let me know what you think!

**Disclaimer: **Don't own Girl Meets World, just a girl who's still meeting her world

* * *

_"But I'm only human_  
_ And I bleed when I fall down_  
_ I'm only human_  
_ And I crash and I break down"_

_-_Human, Christina Perri

* * *

"Maya!" Riley followed her best friend into their history class determinedly, waving an envelope in her hand. "You can't keep dropping this and thinking I won't pick it up! You need to read it!"

Maya looked at the outstretched envelope drily. "Yeah, no thanks."

"Come on," Riley persisted eagerly as they sat down in their respective seats. "Maybe your dad's coming to visit you and that's why he wrote you this letter."

"Fine." Maya rolled her eyes and plucked the envelope from Riley's hand. "But just so you know, I'm only reading this so you'll stop pestering me."

"Alright, class," Cory clapped his hands to get the students attention. "Today I'd like to talk about us–human beings. There's nothing else like us in the entire universe, but that doesn't mean we're perfect. Humanity has made mistakes, fallen down–history proves that. And what I want to know is why you think that happens?"

Lucas raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Friar?" Cory prompted.

"Because humans can only take so much before they break," Lucas answered.

"Exactly! It's–" Cory broke off, noticing Maya's head was slumped down on her desk. "Miss Hart, are you okay?"

Maya looked up slowly and Cory was shocked to see tears forming in her eyes.

"I…I..I'm sorry, Mr. Matthews," Maya stuttered before running out of the room.

Cory looked at Riley, Farkle and Lucas immediately and nodded. "Go."

They took off urgently out the classroom door, only to find Maya was nowhere to be seen.

"Where'd she go?" Farkle asked, glancing around the empty hallway tensely.

"She could be anywhere," Riley remarked worriedly. "I think we should split up. I'll look at her locker and the girls' room; Farkle, you check the art room and the gym; and Lucas, you can take…everywhere else I guess."

The boys nodded and the three of them scattered off in different directions, each shouting Maya's name anxiously.

...

"Maya?"

Riley hurried into the girls' bathroom hastily and hurriedly checked underneath every stall.

Nothing.

Riley ran her hands through her hair worriedly, and pulled out her phone. She dialed her best friend's number quickly and left a voice-mail.

"Where are you, Maya?" Riley asked herself anxiously.

...

"Alright." Farkle listened as Riley explained she was going to Maya's house to check for her. "Just let me finish checking the gym and then I'll go with you."

"Thanks, Farkle," Riley said gratefully.

Farkle hung up his phone and wandered around the gym, searching for Maya.

"Maya, where are you?" he called out fruitlessly. "Riley called and she's really worried. I am too. Would some melon balls help?"

Nothing.

...

Lucas was just about to pass the library for the third time when he noticed something move in the broom closet across the hall.

Quietly, he turned the doorknob and stepped inside. "Hello?"

He saw Maya immediately, sitting on the floor surrounded by piles of ripped up paper with tears running down her face.

"Maya." He breathed a sigh of relief and concern at the same time. "What happened?"

"It doesn't matter," she said hollowly.

"Of course it does," he insisted, coming over to sit down next to her. "I'm your friend."

He glanced down at the papers around them and picked one up in confusion. "These are your sketches," he realized in disbelief. "Why would you rip them up?"

"Because they're worthless," Maya replied angrily, arms crossed. "At least that's what my dad thinks."

"Wait," Lucas frown, befuddled. "When did you talk to your dad?"

"He sent me a letter," she explained bitterly. "That's what I was reading in class. He found out about my art show somehow, and now he's saying art is a waste of time, and that I need to find something that's actually worthwhile."

"Who cares what he thinks?" Lucas argued. "You can still do your art if that's what makes you happy."

"You don't get it," Maya looked at him, crestfallen. "My mom can't afford to send me to college–my dad's the only one who can. And he won't if he thinks I'm a failure. Why waste money on a lost cause?" she slammed her fists against the floor frustratedly. "I really hate him sometimes."

"I get it," Lucas said softly, watching as Maya stared at the wall opposite them emotionlessly. "I was really angry at my dad when my parents got divorced. That's why I moved here with my mom; I couldn't stand him looking at me like I was the reason their relationship fell apart."

Lucas paused and looked at Maya intently. "But here's the thing: it's not my fault. And it's not yours either, Maya. You aren't the failure, he is. I was so mad at my parents for giving up on our family, but eventually I let it go."

"How?" Maya asked, swiping her tears away half-heartedly.

"I realized that the way we are now is better for all of us," Lucas explained. "And you will too. But you have to let it out; you can't keep everything bottled up."

Maya didn't say anything, but her body crumpled into giant sobs as she let out all the grief and frustration she'd been ignoring for years. Lucas put his arm around her automatically as she broke down, and she clung to his warmth, burying her head in his shoulder.

After a few minutes, her sobs trickled off and she looked up at Lucas, all defenses gone. "I just don't want to be a failure."

Lucas smiled and pulled her tighter against his chest. "You aren't."

* * *

**A/N: **Please review! And feel free to leave song suggestions and/or prompts for me :) I need the inspiration!


	5. Just a Kiss

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! So I've had some people requesting a first kiss one-shot, and I've been telling said people to be patient, and guess what? Your patience has paid off because here is my first EVER Lucaya kiss :) I decided to make everyone around 14/15 so I hope you guys like it!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Girl Meets World, but if I did it'd be 30 minutes of Lucas and Maya banter so...yeah

* * *

_"Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight  
Just a touch of the fire burning so bright  
No I don't want to mess this thing up  
I don't want to push too far"_

_-_Just a Kiss, Lady Antebellum

* * *

In the end, it's Lucas who makes the first move and asks Maya to the homecoming dance.

He's watching her jump and sway to the beat of some Ariana Grande song she swears she hates, eyes bright, blonde hair flying everywhere, when he's suddenly struck with the feeling of feeling _something_.

He's not quite sure what it is (adoration? contentment? love?), but all he knows for sure is that for the first time in two years, he finally feels like he belongs here, in New York, with the blonde girl who can throw him off center with a single "huhhuhhhhhr."

"Are you planning on dancing?" she asks him, eyes teasing with amusement. "Or are you just going to stand there and stare at me like a creepy cowboy?"

"Creepy cowboy, huh?" Lucas smirks, placing his hands loosely on her hips. "I'll have you know, my date happens to love cowboys."

She hooks her arms around his neck automatically, and he's once again struck with how _right_ it feels. With Riley, it was all hesitant, uncertain and shy. But with Maya, it's like he's never been surer of anything in his entire life as he pulls her closer and they sway to the music together.

"Maybe she just makes an exception for you," Maya replies, that teasing smirk he loves so much on full display.

"Well, I certainly hope so," he drawls, overdoing his Texan accent in that way he knows both annoys and secretly thrills her. "I wouldn't want her hanging out with any other cowboys but me."

He's delighted to see Maya throw her head back and laugh, happy he's one of the few people who can constantly amuse her.

"You've got nothing to worry about," she promises.

Lucas feels his heart lift as they fall into a comfortable silence. Maya closes her eyes as they continue to move to the music, and he knows other people probably assume it means she's pulling away, but _he _knows her, and he knows it really means she's imprinting this moment in her mind, fully at ease in his arms.

He's watching her dance again, grinning stupidly to himself, when suddenly, her eyes open and find his.

They're close enough that he can see her freckles, like stars on a dark Texas night, and just like that, he knows, he _knows_, that this is his moment.

He spots Riley and Farkle teasing each other by the punch bowl, and Mr. Matthews alternating his glare between Lucas and Farkle, watching every move they make on his two "daughters" like a hawk stalking his prey, but it all fades away as his lips meet Maya's.

And when she kisses him back and runs her hands through his hair, he realizes he was wrong before. His home isn't in New York or Texas, but with this wild, unpredictable girl. For him, home is where the Hart is.

"FRIAR!" Mr. Matthews' voice cuts straight to him. "Lips where I can see them!"

Lucas laughs and he can feel Maya smiling against his lips as they separate, turning to face Mr. Matthews' wrath.

"Why can't you just move back to Texas?!" Mr. Matthews asks Lucas pleadingly.

Lucas grins and squeezes Maya's hand in his own. "I like New York, sir."

Mr. Matthews eyes him suspiciously. "Yeah, that's what you like. You know, I was a teenage boy once too, and I know–"

"Mr. Matthews," Maya interrupts suddenly, an innocent look on her face. "I don't want to alarm you, but I think Riley and Farkle are holding hands."

"What? Where?!" Mr. Matthews stalks off determinedly towards the couple, and Maya laughs against Lucas's chest.

Lucas pulls her closer and as they stand there, wrapped in each other's arms, he knows this isn't just a first date or first kiss.

It's so much more.

* * *

**A/N: **Let me know what you think :) Also, I have a ton of good song suggestions (thanks everyone!), but I could really use some prompts to fit the songs to. So please leave any and all suggestions for me. Thanks!


	6. Lookin' Through the Window

**Author's Note: **I'm going to be honest, I don't actually know the song I picked for this chapter very well, but it's based on a prompt someone sent me "Lucas visiting Maya at her window which becomes a regular thing," and I just kind of wrote it without having a song in my mind, and then googled songs with window in the title to find one that fit this one-shot. Hope you like it!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Girl Meets World, neither does Sundance, Hop-a-long or Ranger Rick though

* * *

"_Just remember whatever makes you feel that way_  
_ Don't you worry 'cause I'm gonna stay_  
_ Right by your side_  
_ To keep on lookin' through the windows_  
_ Lookin' in your eyes"_

-Lookin' Through the Window, Jackson 5

* * *

Halloween night is when it first starts.

Lucas and Farkle are heading back to their houses after a very successful night of trick-or-treating, when the former suggests they stop by Maya's apartment to visit their two best friends. It's Farkle's idea to scare them with the monster masks he's been hiding in his pillowcase this whole time, and at first Lucas is reluctant, figuring Riley has done nothing to deserve a good scaring. But then he thinks of Maya's smirking face, and of how good it will feel to finally pull one over on her, and he agrees.

After scaring the girls and revealing who's really behind the masks, Lucas expects Maya to smirk and say something sarcastic, like "so that's what your real faces look like." But instead she looks mad.

No, no just mad–furious, irritated, even hurt.

Lucas is confused until he notices Riley, pale and trembling with fear, and that's when he realizes what's got Maya so irate.

This place is Maya's home, her private place that contains everything about her–even the parts she tries to keep hidden. And here's Riley–her _best_ friend–too scared of this place to spend even one night here. And when Maya finally convinces Riley to stay, Lucas and Farkle show up and scare Riley even more, so of course she's angry with them.

Lucas feels bad immediately because Maya's right–there's nothing to fear out here.

Which is why he turns to the quivering brunette and says, "What are you scared of, Riley? It's great out here."

And even though he's talking to Riley, his eyes are on Maya the whole time as the anger slowly subsides from her face.

...

Soon, he finds himself stopping by Maya's window once a week after baseball practice.

At first, it's just to annoy her (and, if he's being honest, to see her a little more during the day), but it quickly becomes the thing he looks forward to most all week.

She's suspicious at first, wondering what a country boy like him is doing at her window every Wednesday night at 7 o'clock, but she slowly starts to accept his visits, even leaving the window open for him so he no longer has to knock.

And one day, when he hears her mention to Riley that she's redecorating her room– _again_ (her rooms seems to change as often as her moods, he's noticed)–, he shows up at her window with a sparkly, pink cowboy hat in his hands and a giant smirk on his face.

Maya makes her famous shudder, and swears that "Texan abomination" isn't going anywhere near her precious things, but she takes it from him anyway, and the next week, he notices it hanging off her desks and he grins to himself satisfiedly.

...

In ninth grade, he's finally allowed inside her room. To any random bystander on the street, he probably looks like a hormone-crazed boy crawling into his rebellious girlfriend's bedroom in the wee hours of the night, but that's not the case with them.

Instead, they simply sit on opposite sides of the room–Lucas against the desk, Maya against her bed–and it's about as platonic as you can get.

Maya props her sketchbook against her knees and silently draws Lucas, who's bent over some textbook, forehead creased in concentration, and that's usually how their evenings go until one night, Lucas says he wants to draw Maya.

He laughs as she places the pink cowboy hat (which has now moved to her bedpost) onto her head and poses like a cowgirl dramatically throwing an imaginary lasso.

He works for thirty minutes on the sketch, and even then it's a pitiful representation. Art has never really been his thing.

Maya takes the sketch from him and laughs out loud at the stick-figure with the amateurishly drawn cowboy hat and curly hair.

"I like it," she decides, taping it on her wall. "It looks mysterious."

"Just like you," Lucas replies.

She turns and smiles warmly at him, and it's in that moment he realizes that he's in love with Maya Hart.

...

Tenth grade comes around he no longer allows himself inside Maya's room. It's not that he doesn't want to, but he was raised a gentleman, and being alone with Maya in her bedroom makes him want to do all sorts of ungentleman-like things.

So instead, they stay to the living room, watching TV, or in the kitchen, studying. Of course, that doesn't mean they don't find time to kiss in the shadows of the hallway.

At least, they do when Gammy Hart isn't watching them like a hawk.

"Hands where I can see them, boy!" she shouts one day, waving her cane threateningly.

It sort of makes him glad Gammy Hart never caught them hanging out in Maya's bedroom before they were a couple.

...

In 11th grade, something happens, hurtful words are thrown around, and he's shut out of her window and her life.

Riley says to give it time, that Maya is still crazy in love with Lucas; she's just being her usual, stubborn self.

So he still walks by her apartment every night, hoping to see her smirking face. Instead, he's greeted with a black curtain blocking his view, a constant reminder of all that he's lost.

...

As it turns out, Riley is right, and by the start of 12th grade, he's back to seeing Maya's face in the window.

And the night he _does _decide to sneak into her room is the best night of both their lives.

Afterwards, as they lay together, tangled in each other's warmth, his eyes move to her window for a split-second before looking back down at Maya, nestled in his arms.

"Thank you," he says softly.

She looks up at him sleepily with a confused frown. "For what?"

"For letting me in," he explains, kissing her forehead sweetly.

Maya smiles happily as Lucas pulls her closer into his arms. "Thanks for wanting me to. I love you, cowboy.

Lucas's heart lifts as Maya rests contentedly against his chest. "I love you, too."

He falls asleep to the sound of their hearts beating together and the wind howling against her bedroom window, and he knows that these are the moments life is all about.

* * *

**A/N: **Please review! Thank you :)


	7. All of Me

**Author's Note: **Hi everyone! Just a short little one-shot today before the new episode, inspired by a tumblr post that suggested Maya and Lucas would play good cop/bad cop in trying to help Farkle.

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own Girl Meets World, but I found a dollar on the floor...or is that snake?

* * *

_"What would I do without your smart mouth?_  
_Drawing me in, and you kicking me out_  
_You've got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down"_

-All of Me, John Legend

* * *

"Hey, Sarah." Lucas smiled warmly at the brown-haired girl as he and Maya stepped in front of her. "Can we talk to you for a second?"

"Actually," Sarah replied, glancing between the two of them anxiously, "I have to get to music class right now, and–"

"He wasn't asking," Maya interrupted authoritatively.

Sarah frowned, confused. "But he said–"

"Sit," Maya ordered.

Sarah complied immediately, dropping into the front row desk nervously. "What's this about?"

"We just want to ask you some questions," Lucas explained calmly.

"And you're going to answer them truthfully," Maya added, glaring down at the girl stonily. "Understand?"

Sarah gulped and nodded her head quickly.

"Great." Lucas smiled at her charmingly, and sat down at the desk beside her. "Now, you know Farkle wasn't in class today. It turns out someone said some not-so-nice things about him, and we were wondering if you know who it is."

"It wasn't me!" Sarah said quickly, shooting a fearful glance in Maya's direction.

"No one said it was," Lucas remarked soothingly.

"I thought it," Maya muttered. "For like, a second," she added defensively at the look Lucas shot her.

"Sarah," Lucas said gently, turning his attention back to their questionee. "Do you know who said those things about Farkle?"

"I don't think so," she replied hesitantly.

"She's lying!" Maya declared, slamming her hands down on the desk loudly. "Who are you protecting?"

"No one," Sarah squeaked timidly. "But…"

"But?" Maya prompted impatiently.

"It's okay, Sarah," Lucas said softly. "Take your time."

"Yeah, we only have a heart-broken boy whose self-esteem is on the line," Maya added sarcastically.

"Alright." Sarah bit her lip thoughtfully before answering. "Tori told me she overheard Mike telling Farkle his turtlenecks are stupid, and that he isn't cool enough to hang out with you guys."

Maya and Lucas looked at each other sadly, thinking of the pain their friend was going through.

"Thanks, Sarah," Lucas said after a moment. "We really appreciate you telling us."

"Don't go too far!" Maya called out as Sarah walked out of the classroom. "We many have follow-up questions!"

"Well, now we know who bullied Farkle," Lucas remarked, coming to stand in front of Maya.

"Yeah, but it won't make Farkle feel any better," Maya pointed out.

"I think I might have an idea to help him," Lucas said thoughtfully. He paused before smirking at Maya. "We make a pretty good team."

"We do," she agreed, grinning mischievously. "Now let's go find Mike and teach him a little lesson."

She turned and took off out of the room speedily, smirk widening.

"Maya, wait, no!" Lucas ran after her hurriedly, trying to catch up to the cunning blonde before she inflicted any serious pain on her target.

Poor Mike had no clue what–or who–was coming for him.

* * *

**A/N: **Please review! Thank you :)


	8. Who's That Girl

**Author's Note: **Throwing it back to as Hilary Duff song with this one! Another amazing song, that you should definitely check out! Now, onto watching Girl Meets Flaws! Eek!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Girl Meets World because I'm not Michael Jacobs (sorry all you conspiracists out there)

* * *

_ "Who's that girl?__  
Where's she from?  
No she can't be the one  
That you want  
That has stolen my world"_

_-_Who's That Girl, Hilary Duff

* * *

Riley wasn't sure what it is exactly that made her realize what she'd been missing this entire time.

Maybe it was the way Lucas eagerly volunteered to be _her_ partner in history class; or the way he looked at _her_ when he thought no one was watching, but Riley could no longer deny what was right in front of her.

Lucas had a crush on Maya.

In retrospect, she probably should have seen this a lot sooner. The way Lucas always engaged in Maya's teasing with an equally amused smirk; or the way he picked her first every single time in gym class when it was his turn to be captain. The signs were all around her, she'd just been too obsessed with Lucas to notice.

Muttering angrily to herself, Riley slammed her family's apartment door shut loudly, causing Topanga to look up questioningly.

"Honey, is something wrong?" she asked as Riley flopped face-first into her mother's lap. "And where's Maya? Did you two have a fight?"

Riley only nodded glumly in response.

"What happened?" Topanga asked softly, rubbing Riley's back soothingly.

"Lucas has a crush on Maya," Riley explained sadly.

"Oh," Topanga remarked knowingly, not sounding nearly as surprised as Riley expected her to.

"Wait." Riley sat up slowly and looked at her mother quizzically. "Did you know?"

"No," Topanga said quickly. "But I had my suspicions."

"What?!" Riley asked, shocked.

Topanga smiled apologetically, and reached for her daughter's hand. "I'm a lawyer, sweetie; I notice things other people don't always see. And the way Lucas looks at Maya sometimes–"

"It's like she's his sun on a cloudy day," Riley finished. "That's what I saw today. I guess I inherited another talent from you."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Topanga replied, squeezing Riley's shoulders comfortingly. "So Lucas told you he likes Maya?"

"Not exactly," Riley remarked with a sigh. "But I can tell. Dad assigned us a new project today, and Lucas asked Maya to be his partner before I could even turn my head around."

"Does Maya know Lucas likes her?" Topanga asked.

Riley averted her eyes to her lap guiltily. "She does now."

Topanga narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"After school, I asked Maya if we could switch partners," Riley explained slowly. "But she said I'd have to talk to Lucas since they'd already come up with a topic for their project."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Topanga interjected.

"It wasn't," Riley agreed quickly. "But then, I thought maybe she knew how Lucas felt about her, and maybe she liked him too. So I asked her about it, and she got all defensive. And the more defensive she got, the more convinced I was that something was going on."

Topanga opened her mouth to speak, but Riley cut her off quickly. "I know it was wrong, but I was just so angry."

"I understand that," Topanga said gently. "But if you were upset with Lucas, you should have talked to him calmly about what you saw. Instead, you accused Maya of betraying the things she holds most important. She's always been loyal to you, Riley."

"It hurts, Mommy," Riley admitted softly.

"I know, sweetie," Topanga replied, pulling Riley back into her arms. "And I never wanted to see you go through this. But it's called a first crush for a reason; you'll find someone else who will turn your world upside down someday. And I'm sure your father will go just as crazy as he did before."

Riley laughed and swiped away her last remaining tears. "Thanks, Mom."

Topanga smiled and kissed Riley's forehead lovingly. "Of course, sweetheart."

Riley sighed and stood up reluctantly. "I better go call Maya and apologize. She's never going to forgive me."

"I think she will," Topanga smiled encouragingly. "Do you really think Maya likes Lucas?"

"I think she does, but she doesn't know it yet," Riley answered honestly. "But either way, it doesn't matter–Lucas picked her, and he's always going to pick her." She paused and a thoughtful look appeared on her face. "But that might be just what Maya needs. He makes her smile, and laugh, and he keeps her out of more trouble than I ever can. And if that's the case, then I'll be just fine."

Topanga smiled proudly as her daughter headed off to her bedroom happily. She wondered when Riley would notice the _other_ observation Topanga has made about her daughter's quartet.

That Riley had a crush on the one and only Farkle Minkus.

Boy, Cory would have a heart attack over that one. But that was a conversation for a different day.

* * *

**A/N: **Review and let me know what you though! I really like Topanga and Riley's relationship :) Hope I did it justice!


	9. Tell Me Why

**Author's Note: **Guys, there's no new GMW this week...I don't know what to do now...

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Girl Meets World, but I do own my flaws :)

* * *

_"Here's to you and your temper  
Yes, I remember what you said last night  
And I know that you see what you're doing to me  
Tell me why"_

-Tell Me Why, Taylor Swift

* * *

"You are such a lightweight," Maya smirked, laughing as Lucas stumbled down the hallway clumsily.

"You're the one who shot back twelve of those things," Lucas pointed out, propping his hand against the wall to try and steady himself.

"And I feel fine," she remarked, bouncing on the tips of her toes frenziedly.

"I don't think 'fine' is the word I'd use," Riley replied, eyeing her shaking friends dubiously as they entered the Matthews' apartment.

"Alright," Riley said slowly as Maya and Lucas continued to bounce up and down uncontrollably. "I'm going to walk Farkle down to his dad's car, and then I'll be right back. Try not to break anything while I'm gone."

"No promises," Maya called out as Riley walked out the door. She turned unsteadily to find Lucas staring straight at her, and she raised her eyebrows haughtily. "What'cha looking at Hee-Haw?"

"You look great," he said softly.

Maya rolled her eyes instinctively. "Okay, now I _know_ you're a lightweight."

Lucas laughed and stepped towards her choppily, tripping over the leg of the table. "Hey, I'm just repaying you for what you said the first time we met. What was it again?" He paused and pretended to mull it over. "Oh yeah, I'm 'really cute.'"

Maya glared at him, unamused. "I was doing that for Riley–remember her? The girl you're _supposed_ to be calling great."

"Why's that?" Lucas asked, frowning confusedly.

"Because you're the Topanga to her Cory," Maya explained, throwing her arms up exasperatedly. "You're the great loves of each other's lives."

Lucas paused and tilted his head thoughtfully at her. "What if I like someone else?"

"You can't," she said automatically.

He nodded absently and looked around the room with a bitter expression. "So that's it? My life's already all planned out perfectly for me?" He paused and glanced down at his trembling hands before taking a deep breath. "Maya, we're friends, and there's something I've been wanting to tell you–"

"We are not friends," Maya said harshly. "In fact, if it weren't for Riley, I doubt we'd even talk at all."

Lucas looked up swiftly, a rare glare crossing his features. "What are we then?"

"Nothing," she replied flippantly. "You're the Texas-loving cowboy who's going to date my best friend, and I'm just the broken girl who makes your life miserable."

"No." Lucas shook his head vehemently, and stepped forward until they were a breath apart. "You're the girl whose smirk drives me crazy; the girl I'm constantly trying–and failing–to outwit; the girl who puts her arms on my desk at school like she owns the place. Does that really sound like nothing to you?"

Maya's cold expression dropped, and for once she was speechless. "I–"

"I'm back!" Riley announced, strolling back into the apartment with her mother.

Topanga took one look at Maya and Lucas's teetering, disheveled appearances, and turned towards her daughter, confused. "What wrong with them?"

"Sugar high," Riley explained matter-of-factly. "Maya bet Lucas she could eat more pixie sticks than him; turns out they can both eat a lot of pixie sticks. But it should be wearing off–"she turned and looked over at her friends, who were now slumped down on opposite sides of the couch–"now. Can they stay here for the night?"

Topanga eyed her daughter questioningly. "Why?"

"Because," Riley walked over to Lucas and Maya's sleeping figures and picked up one of each of their arms. "I don't think they're going anywhere for a while."

She let go of their arms, and they dropped back down instantly, like dead-weight.

Topanga laughed and headed toward the hallway. "I'll call their mothers. But Lucas stays out of your room, understood?"

"Deal." Riley nodded and skipped after her mother happily, glancing back at her two best friends amusedly before heading into her room.

"Hey, cowboy?" Maya said quietly.

Lucas opened his eyes sleepily. "Mm?"

"I lied," she admitted softly. "I do like you."

Lucas smiled and looked over at her curled-up figure contentedly. "Friends?"

Maya nodded and smiled back. "Friends."

* * *

**A/N: **Review and let me know what you thought! And feel free to leave any prompt suggestions! Thanks for all the reviews so far :)


	10. Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy)

**Author's Note: **It's been one week without GMW and I can't deal. Send help. Anyway, I hope you guys like this one :) It's one of my favorite so far!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Girl Meets World, just a Lucaya shipper with a dream.

* * *

_"Come on in boy, sit on down_  
_ And tell me 'bout yourself_  
_ So you like my daughter, do you now_  
_ Yeah we think she's something else"_

_-_Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy), Rodney Atkins

* * *

"Hello?"

Lucas stepped inside the Matthews' apartment cautiously, unsure of what exactly he was walking into. Mr. Matthews had pulled him aside privately after class and told him to come by the apartment right after school without explaining why.

Now, as he entered the apartment, he found a solemn-looking Cory sitting at the kitchen table with his best friend, Shawn Hunter, standing next to him. Lucas had never met Shawn before, but he knew Maya idolized him as a father.

"Have a seat, Mr. Friar," Cory ordered, leaving no room for questions.

Lucas complied immediately, taking the seat directly across from Cory. "What's this about, sir?" he asked nervously, eyes darting back-and-forth between the two men staring stonily at him.

"You're a smart kid, Mr. Friar," Cory remarked, leaning towards him purposefully. "You must have known this was coming."

"What's coming?" Lucas questioned, frowning with complete befuddlement.

"I'm Shawn, by the way," Cory's friend spoke up, arms crossed coolly. "I don't think we've met before."

"No, sir, but I've heard great things about you," Lucas replied eagerly, happy to push some of the heat off of himself. "I'm–"

"Lucas, Maya's boyfriend," Shawn supplied doubtlessly. "We know."

_Oh, crap._ Lucas gulped and looked between them, face pale. "Uh-oh."

"Oh, yes," Cory replied. "Did you really think we wouldn't find out?"

"Of course not, sir–"Lucas froze and glanced at Shawn tensely–"I mean _sirs. _But we've only been going out for a little while–"

"Six weeks, four days, and seven hours," Shawn interrupted with a smirk. "My goddaughter has a lot of great traits, but she sings like a bird under pressure."

"It's true." Cory nodded. "And Riley told us everything."

"Uh-oh," Lucas said again.

"Uh-oh, indeed, Mr. Friar," Cory agreed. "Now, Maya is a very special girl to all of us, and you of all people know just how much we love her."

"Of course, sir," Lucas piped in quickly. "I care a lot about her too."

"We're not saying you don't," Shawn remarked evenly. "Anyone can see how much you care about Maya. We just want you to know that if anything were to happen to her because of you, the three of us would have a problem."

"And we might not look like much, but Shawn knows how to hide a body," Cory added with all seriousness.

Shawn nodded agreeingly. "I do."

Lucas looked over at him, gaping in shock. "How do you know that?"

The point is," Cory said, pointedly ignoring Lucas's question. "If we see Maya hurt or broken, and you're responsible, you're answering to us. And Riley, because she said if you do anything to hurt her best friend, she'll josh you up."

"It's jack," Shawn corrected, looking at his friend dubiously.

"Oh, right," Cory replied.

"Anyway, you treat her right, Texas," Shawn remarked. "That girl deserves the world after all she's been through."

"I will, sir," Lucas promised. And it was true: he'd rather lasso a hundred angry bulls with a rope made out of Twizzlers than hurt Maya.

Cory nodded and pushed away from the table decisively. "Well then, I think we have an understanding, right, Mr. Friar?"

Lucas nodded and looked up at them thoughtfully. "I understand, and I appreciate you warning me, but I think we all know Maya would beat me up herself if I ever hurt her."

"That–"Cory paused and glanced over at Shawn, who just nodded–"is probably true. But don't forget, I still have your shoe."

"Cory! Shawn!" Topanga entered the kitchen, eyeing them suspiciously. "Are you trying to scare Lucas?"

"Maybe…" Cory said, smiling sheepishly at his wife.

Topanga rolled her eyes at the two of them before looking down at Lucas. "Come on, Lucas, I'll walk you out."

"Thanks, Mrs. Matthews." Lucas scrambled to his feet and nodded politely at Cory and Shawn. "Nice meeting you, sir."

Shawn smiled and looked at Lucas approvingly. "Call me Shawn."

Topanga and Lucas walked over to the front door, and just as Lucas was about to leave, Topanga grabbed onto his should tightly, causing him to turn and look at her in surprise.

"I'm really happy you and Maya are together–you're good for each other," she said quickly, low enough so Cory and Shawn couldn't hear. "But if you hurt one precious blonde hair on that head of hers, I'll introduce your face to my pointiest shoes. Shawn may know how to hide a body, but I'm a lawyer–I know how to make people disappear. Are we clear?"

"Yes, m'am." Lucas nodded quickly, a thousand times more fearful of her wrath than Cory or Shawn's.

"Great." Topanga smiled cheerfully as Lucas stepped into the hall. "See you for dinner tomorrow!"

Boy, what an interesting dinner that would be.

* * *

**A/N: **Please review :)


	11. Calling All the Monsters

**Author's Note: **Here's a little Halloween one-shot for everyone in honor of today! Takes place after Girl Meets World of Terror, one of my favorite Lucaya moments so far :)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Girl Meets World, but tonight, I'll get candy! Lots and lots of candy.

* * *

_"Tonight all the monsters gonna dance  
We're comin' to get ya!  
Tonight all the monsters gonna dance  
We're comin' to get ya!  
If you're only dreaming  
Why I hear you screaming?"_

_-_Calling All the Monster, China Anne McClain

* * *

_Knock, knock!_

Maya sat up sleepily, careful not to wake Riley, and squinted in the dark confusedly. Slowly, she got up and pulled back her curtain to find a certain steam-punk ranger standing in front of her window.

"Lucas?" she hissed softly. "What are you doing here so late?"

He raised one eyebrow dubiously at her. "It's 8:30."

"Oh," Maya remarked. She and Riley had stayed up for another forty-five minutes talking about school and life and Farkle's fear of softball before falling asleep. Apparently, they hadn't been asleep for nearly as long as she'd thought.

Maya glanced back at Riley's sleeping figure for a split-second before opening her window and hopping over to join Lucas outside.

"So, what brings you back to my neck-of-the-woods, cowboy?" she drawled, crossing her arms against the chilly air.

"I wanted to bring you and Riley some candy," Lucas explained, gesturing to the pillowcase in his hand. "You guys were so preoccupied with getting Riley to stay the night; you didn't get to go out trick-or-treating so I thought I'd give you some of mine and Farkle's."

"Thanks," Maya said hesitantly, taking the candy-filled pillowcase from him.

"And," he said slowly, "I wanted to make sure you aren't mad at me."

Maya frowned confusedly. "For what?" she asked, unwrapping a candy bar smoothly.

"Taking you out of the softball game," he explained.

Maya snorted amusedly. "Believe me, Huckleberry, if I _was_ mad at you, it wouldn't be about that."

Lucas's face filled with relief. "Good. I just knew what Farkle needed to get over his fear."

"It's fine," she insisted, offering him a piece of Kit-Kat. "Riley got to check out your butt, so it worked out well for everyone."

Lucas laughed and broke off a piece of the out-stretched chocolate. "Well, the pitcher is the cutest one on the team."

Maya froze, chocolate half-way to her lips, as she realized what he had just implied.

"You were really good today, by the way," he carried on obliviously. "Where'd you learn to pitch like that?"

Maya shrugged breezily as she threw the leftover chocolate to a stray pigeon. "My mom used to practice with me when I was younger. She was captain of her high school softball team, and I wanted to be just like her."

"Why'd you stop?" Lucas asked curiously.

"What's with the twenty questions?" Maya questioned suspiciously.

"We're friends," Lucas said simply.

Maya blew out a breath and averted her gaze to the sidewalk. "My dad left," she explained quietly. "And then my mom picked up her job at the diner to pay the bills, and we just stopped having time for each other."

"She really cares about you, you know," Lucas remarked softly.

Maya nodded once. "Yeah, in her own way," she remarked matter-of-factly. "Look, I'm not mad at you about the softball game. Just don't take me out ever again."

"You're not my type," Lucas replied teasingly.

Maya scoffed disbelievingly with a smirk. "I'm everyone's type."

Lucas laughed before standing up slowly. "Well, I better get going," he said reluctantly. "I promised my mother I'd be back by 9:00."

Maya raised her eyebrows dubiously. "You're walking home along?"

"Yeah." He shrugged nonchalantly. "It's Halloween night; what could go wrong?"

Maya shook her head amusedly. "I forgot you're not from here."

Lucas grinned. "Somehow, I doubt that, m'am."

Maya smiled before glancing into her bedroom thoughtfully. "Wait here."

She slipped back inside swiftly and riffled through the hidden drawer in her closet until she found what she was looking for and went back outside.

Lucas glanced down, bemused at the item Maya had placed in his hand. "Pepper spray?"

Maya shrugged nonchalantly. "I found it at a yard sale."

"I can take care of myself, Maya," he protested.

"I know," she remarked. "And I'm sure you wrestled plenty of outlaws and alligators back in the good ole' Texas, but New York can get pretty weird on Halloween. Plus, Riles will kill me if anything happens to your pretty face and all I have to show for it is a sack of candy."

"Well, how can I argue with all of that? Thank you, m'am." He smirked and tipped his imaginary cowboy hat at her.

Maya rolled her eyes, but a small smile appeared on her face as she stepped back into her room.

"Oh, and Maya?" Lucas appeared directly in front of her window for the third time that night, and waiting until her eyes were on his. "Happy Halloween."

Maya pitched him a piece of candy and grinned when he caught it effortlessly. "Happy Halloween, Sundance."

* * *

**A/N: **Happy Halloween everyone! Please review :)


	12. Welcome to New York

**Author's Note: **Two week until GMW is back! I hope we'll get Lucaya moments, but it's an earlier episode so we probably won't :(

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Girl Meets World, but Taylor Swift's new cd? Sure do!

* * *

_"The lights are so bright__  
But they never blind me, me  
Welcome to New York  
It's been waiting for you  
Welcome to New York"_

_-_Welcome to New York, Taylor Swift

* * *

Lucas isn't sure how to feel about New York. After all, he's only been here a week, and in that week, he's already had two people attempt to pickpocket him, gotten lost on the subway five times, and almost been run over by at least seven different taxi cabs.

That's not to say he regrets moving here with his mother–he doesn't. He just never expected the city to feel so different from what he's grown up with.

And now, here he is, sitting alone on the subway, headed off for his first day at a new school with all new people. He'd thought–hoped actually–that he'd find at least a few kids his age on _their_ own way to school, but besides one boy in a yellow turtleneck who'd hopped into a massive limo in front of the subway station, all Lucas had seen were stuffy businessmen and bleary-eyed college kids, who looked like they were just heading home after a night of intense partying.

That is, until the next subway stop, when two girls his age–one brunette, the other blonde–walk onto the subway together, conversing back-and-forth animatedly.

Lucas wants to get up and introduce himself, but in his short time in New York City, he's learned the hard way that something that was commonplace back in Texas–like helping a woman who'd dropped her purse–was met with immediate suspicion here, and usually left you with a bruised jaw.

So he continues to sit, watching the girls from the corner of his eye, until the brown-haired girl notices him, and he feels it's okay–even in New York–to smile.

She turns to her friend excitedly, and suddenly the blonde girl is in front of him, smirking widely.

"Hi, I'm Maya," she introduces. "You're really cute. We should hang out sometime."

He smiles as she sits down next to him–maybe New York City isn't so crazy after all.

"You make me happy," she says abruptly. "You don't pay enough attention to me. This isn't working–it's you, not me," she adds, standing up just as quickly as she'd sat down. "We can still be friends–not really."

Lucas frowns in complete and utter confusion as the girl–Maya–walks away. On second thought, maybe New York _is_ really filled with a bunch of crazies.

He returns to his book, when suddenly, the brunette girl is flying towards him. _Okay, let's go with it,_ he decides, catching the girl in his lap.

"Hi," she smiles nervously. "We were just talking about you; you used to go out with my friend, Maya."

He smirks and looks over at the blonde. Oh, he remembers Maya. "I'm Lucas," he says with an amused grin.

"I love it." The girl's smile widens as he plops her down in the empty seat next to him.

Before she can say more, a lady appears in front of them asking for a seat, and he politely offers his.

"Not you, sweet potato-pie," she smiles.

After some mild protesting, the brunette girl reluctantly heads back over to Maya and he goes back to his book for the third time. That is, until the girl comes flying toward him again, this time landing in the lap of the lady next to him.

"It's for you," the lady remarks dryly, placing the girl in his lap.

"Hi," the girl giggles again.

Lucas nods politely. "Hi."

She just continues to smile silently at him, and he feels his gaze automatically drift over to her friend, who's smirking at them knowingly.

She wouldn't be giggling, he decides doubtlessly. In fact, he's never met anyone like her in his entire life. Part of him wishes she would come over instead.

Suddenly, the next stop opens and the girl–whose name he still doesn't know–dashes back to Maya hurriedly as the crowd separates them from his view.

It isn't until the doors close and he's alone again, that he realizes he just missed his stop.

Great...

* * *

He's late for his first class (big surprise there), World History with Mr. Matthews, and even though he should be nervous about meeting his new classmates, he can't help thinking about that girl he'd "dated" on the subway.

Maya. She is nothing like the girls he'd known back in Texas–all shy and polite. No, Maya is all bold statements and amused smirks. What makes a person that carefree? he wonders to himself.

Finally, he finds the classroom he's looking for, and steps inside confidently, pushing all thoughts of Maya to the back of his mind as the teacher notices him.

"Who are you?" the teacher questions. "I don't know who you are."

Just then, his eyes move toward a familiar face–it's the brunette girl he had met this morning, smiling up at him excitedly, which could only mean…

His heart lifts in anticipation as he spots a distinct set of blonde curls just a couple seats over.

He smiles–a real, genuine smile–and sits down in his seat as Maya smirks at him amusedly with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

Suddenly, New York City looks a whole lot more interesting.

* * *

**A/N:** Haha, I'm ruining Riley/Lucas moments, oh well! Please review, thanks :)


	13. Behind a Smile

**Author's Note: **So from what I've heard Girl Meets Friendship is not a good episode for Lucaya shippers. I'll just be hiding my head in the sand :(

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Girl Meets World, just a bucket of feels.

* * *

_"Cause I'm hiding behind this smile__  
No, I haven't come out for awhile  
See there is this place so empty inside me  
I keep hiding behind this smile"_

_-_Behind a Smile, Matt Wertz

* * *

Riley may not know what jealousy is, but _you_ sure do.

It all starts back in kindergarten, on the first day of school, when you spot a brown-haired girl in pink pigtails walk into the classroom, gripping her parents' hands nervously. (You, on the other hand, were dropped off by your Gammy and marched into the room with your lunch in a paper bag and your hands clutching your jacket).

You should hate this girl, but there's a certain innocence about her that you feel needs to be protected, and maybe even if you can't have a perfect life, you can at least pretend with this girl.

So you stride over to her confidently and plop your measly bag of Oreos and a turkey sandwich next to her fancy High School Musical lunchbox and grin.

"Hi, I'm Maya," you introduce.

The girl smiles back at you excitedly. "I'm Riley."

And that's when you first learn what jealously is…

/

Jealousy is when your best friend scrapes her knee and you see her mom rush towards her daughter and fuss over her worriedly.

Meanwhile, you have a father who's half-way across the country and a mother who can't afford to spend time with you, and so, at six years-old, you learn to bandage your own scrapes and suck up the pain.

But you still watch Riley being fussed over by her parents, and you can't help wishing your life was a little more like hers…

/

Jealousy is stopping by your best friend's home at seven in the morning (because Riley gets to sleep in late, while you have to be up at five just to see your mother once a day) to walk to school together, and seeing a warm, home-cooked meal laid out nicely on the table every day.

Your own stomach finished digesting that measly bowl of cereal you had with your mom hours ago, and when Mrs. Matthews insists you eat some oatmeal, you comply, the whole time wishing your mom had just had the time to make you your own breakfast so you didn't have to catch that knowing look of pity in Riley's parents' eyes…

/

Jealousy is when a new boy from Texas comes to school, and at first, you're happy to watch your best friend fall for him, since you have literally _nothing_ in common with him.

Or at least, you thought you didn't, until you learn that his family isn't exactly as perfect as everyone thinks. And slowly, you realize that this boy may just be as close to perfect for you as you'll ever find.

He's nothing like your usual type–all country charm and polite manners–but he's the only person you've met who actually gets your sense of humor and matches it with his own. And that stupid smirk of his starts to make you feel all funny in your stomach, and suddenly you're jealous of Riley all over again.

The worst part is, you can't even talk about it with anyone: your best friend is head-over-heels for him; Mr. and Mrs. Matthews (the only adults who actually have time for you) would only tell you that you have to talk to Riley; and Farkle is now best friends with Lucas, so it's not like you can trust him not to blab when he's spending so much time around the guy every day.

So instead, you bury your feelings like the pain from the cuts you took care of when you were six, and you wear a carefree smirk like a piece of armor, and no one seems to notice how much you're hiding behind that smirk.

/

Jealously is when your best friend calls you excitedly to tell you that she and Lucas kissed. And since you're a good friend, you fake a smile and put on a happy tone, even though your heart is breaking and you're _so_ angry at yourself for falling for someone you can never have.

It's not like anything would happen even if he _did_ like you that way (and you like to think, late at night, when you're staring up restlessly at your ceiling, that maybe he _does_ like you like that–that maybe all those teasing smirks and amused glances are hiding something more real). You're too good a friend, and that's why you're able to hide your jealousy from everyone around you, bury it until even _you're_ fooled by how you're feeling. You learned at a young age to mask the things you're really feeling by hiding them underneath careless shrugs and mocking tones.

Because when you've already lost so much, you can't afford to steal the things of the people you actually have left, no matter how much you want them.

So you smile harder and laugh louder as your best friend blabbers on enthusiastically about her first kiss and all that it implies, and you're proud of yourself, because the one thing Riley will never be better than you at is faking a smile when you're drowning inside.

/

You look in the mirror afterwards and you decide maybe it's time to write a new flaw on your forehead.

You're still broken, but you're Maya Hart, and you also are J-E-A-L-O-U-S.

_Welcome to the team…_

* * *

**A/N:** Well, that was depressing. This is so different from what I usually do, I hope it worked :0


	14. Just the Girl

**Author's Note: **I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank you all so much for getting this story over 100 reviews! That's amazing; please keep it up!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Girl Meets World. Why, did you think I did?

* * *

_"She's a mystery  
She's too much for me  
But I keep comin' back for more  
She's just the girl I'm lookin' for"_

-Just the Girl, Click Five

* * *

_"_Do it again, Maya! Pleeaase."

Lucas froze, mid-way through cleaning up all the food left on the Matthews' kitchen table, and tilted his head towards the hallway cautiously.

When he'd first agreed to help baby-sit Auggie with Maya, he hadn't been quite sure what he was signing up for. According to Mrs. Matthews, Maya had baby-sat the youngest Matthews child plenty of times with Riley, but never by herself.

So when Mr. and Mrs. Matthews weekly "date-night" fell on the same night as Riley and Farkle's dress rehearsal for the school's spring play, Mrs. Matthews had begged him to help baby-sit (or "baby-sit the babysitter" as she'd put it), and he'd agreed, simply for the chance to see Maya outside of her usual element.

He'd expected her to veg out on the couch while he did all the work, but she'd surprised him once again by doing all the things he'd expect Riley or Mr. and Mrs. Matthews to do.

At dinner, she'd made sure Auggie ate all his vegetables by having him pretend to be a superhero that needed to eat all the "villainous" vegetables before they took over the apartment. And after that, she had listened thoughtfully as Auggie sat in her lap and told her all about his latest crisis with Ava.

Now though, as Lucas heard Auggie laugh uncontrollably, he remembered Mrs. Matthews warning him not to let Maya read any inappropriate stories to Auggie before bedtime, and he dashed over to Auggie's room anxiously. (Apparently, when Auggie was three, Maya had told him a certain dirty limerick that he had then gone on to share with his entire preschool class).

However, when he saw what was going on, he stopped and leaned against Auggie's door-frame with an amused smirk.

Auggie and Maya were sitting next to each other on his bed, with May's old guitar resting in Maya's lap.

"Okay, okay." Maya laughed and started to strum a few familiar notes before singing, "_A little bit of Riley in my life, a little bit of Farkle by my side. A little bit of Hee-Haw is all I need, a little bit of Auggie is what I see. Mambo No. 5!_"

Auggie giggled breathlessly as Maya finished the song with an amused smile and glanced over at Lucas, raising her eyebrows playfully at him.

"Lucas!" Auggie launched himself into Lucas's arms happily and Lucas moved to sit on the bed with Auggie still wrapped around him snugly. "Did you know Maya can play the guitar?"

Lucas smirked and glanced over at Maya amusedly. "I heard."

Maya grinned back at him mischievously before turning to smile at Auggie. "You know, Auggie, Ranger Rick even made me write a song about him. Do you want to hear it?"

"YES!" Auggie cheered excitedly.

"Oh no," Lucas muttered softly as Maya began to play.

"Hello, everyone," she drawled dramatically. "I'm Hop-A-Long McSundance…"

Auggie laughed as Maya sang her song, and pretty soon, Lucas found himself joining in, picking the little boy up to dance.

"Maya, dance!" Auggie instructed, laughing as he jumped around with Lucas.

"I don't dance," Maya insisted, raising one eyebrow dubiously until the boys shot her their best puppy-dog eyes. "Okay, fine," she relented, standing up to do-si-do around the room.

After a few more rounds of singing, the three of them collapsed on Auggie's bed, laughing until their stomachs began to hurt.

"You're the best baby-sitters ever!" Auggie declared, throwing his arms around the two of them enthusiastically.

"Thanks, Auggie," Maya remarked with a sly grin. "But you know, there's still one thing we haven't done yet."

"What is it?" Auggie asked curiously.

"Pillow fight!" she smirked and smacked Lucas in the face with a pillow.

"Oh, you're going down, kid," Lucas warned, picking the pillow up determinedly.

Maya laughed as Auggie valiantly threw himself in front of her to defend the blonde from the air-borne pillow, before reaching for another one of Auggie's pillows.

Before long, they were in a full-out pillow war with Maya and Auggie teaming up against Lucas (and with Maya's pitching arm, Lucas was sure he was going to have some bruising when he woke up tomorrow morning).

As he ducked out of the way of another flying pillow, Lucas grinned to himself before flinging a pillow back at Maya's laughing face. Turns out, Maya was a pretty good baby-sitter after all.

* * *

**A/N:** Eek, how was it? This is one of those cutesy moments I really hope happens on the show someday! Please review :)


	15. I Believe

**Author's Note: **Thanks so much for all the reviews everyone! Who's watching the new episode tonight? (Probably not me, because it's going to end with Riley/Lucas stuff so I'll be living happily in denial).

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Girl Meets World. However, feel free to come live in denial with me :)

* * *

_"I believe that the words that he told you are not your grave__  
I know that we are not the weight of all our memories  
I believe in the things that I am afraid to say  
Hold on"_

-I Believe, Christina Perri

* * *

Lucas's relationship with his father was complicated. In fact, he talked about his absentee parent even less than Maya did–and that was saying something.

He didn't exactly hate his father, but he certainly didn't want to spend the whole weekend showing the man around New York City, as his mother had just informed him he would be doing.

"Lucas, sweetie?" his mother's voice chirped through his cell phone concernedly. "Are you still there?"

"I have to go," he said abruptly, hanging up without another word. He looked down at the phone clenched tightly in his hand and tried to focus. His breathing was coming in and out in short gasps, and he felt like he was going to throw up or faint…maybe both.

"Lucas?"

Riley and Farkle came around the corner, looking at their friend worriedly. "Are you okay?" Riley asked.

Lucas opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out except a strangled wheeze. Just the thought of seeing his father in less than two days had his heart racing wildly as he continued to gasp for air.

He just couldn't deal with it all right then, so instead of responding, he turned and stumbled away from his friends quickly, rushing into the first empty room his panic-filled brain declared far enough away from any prying eyes.

Or, at least, he _thought_ it was empty.

"What are you doing here, Huckleberry?" a familiar voice questioned.

Lucas's eyes darted around the room, taking in the blank canvases and unused paintbrushes surrounding him, and realized he had fled into the art room, where the one-and-only Maya Hart was staring at him in confusion as his chest continued to fall up and down rapidly.

"Baseball practice get a little too intense?" she teased with a playful smirk.

He just looked over at her with panic-filled eyes.

"Lucas!" she said forcefully, gripping his shoulders in her hands tightly. "You need to calm down."

"Can't." He gasped, struggling for air.

"Yes, you can," she insisted, looking at him determinedly. "Just close your eyes and try to breathe like I am–in and out."

He nodded quickly and closed his eyes, focusing all his concentration on Maya and the sound of her breathing.

_In and out…_

_In. Out._

Slowly, he felt his breathing return to normal as the all-consuming panic that had been drowning him disappeared.

Lucas opened his eyes to find Maya's own blue ones staring at him intently. "You okay now?"

He nodded before collapsing down against the nearest wall wearily. "I don't know what happened; I haven't had a panic attack since I was seven."

"Something must have caused it," Maya remarked, sitting down next to him so their knees were touching. "What happened?"

Lucas just shook his head in his hands. "It's nothing."

"Lucas." Maya persisted, voice soft.

"My father is coming up to spend the weekend with me," he explained slowly, lifting his eyes to meet Maya's.

"And you're not happy about seeing Papa Sundance, I'm guessing?" Maya replied knowingly.

Lucas let out a deep breath, keeping his eyes on Maya's. "Remember when Riley had us all write our flaws on our foreheads, and I told you to write 'Mr. Perfect' on mine? Well, that's because of my father. He was the golden boy of his high school with twice the anger problems. And the same thing happened with my great-grandfather; everyone thought he'd be the next big thing until he got drunk one night and ended up in jail. Being perfect isn't a blessing, it's a burden."

Maya just looked at him silently before letting out a heavy sigh. "Look, cowboy, I hate to break it to you, but you aren't perfect."

Lucas blinked in surprised. "Excuse me?"

"The first day we met on the subway, you were sitting in a handicap-only seat," Maya stated, smirking slightly. "Plus, it took you like two months to learn Farkle's last name–who does that?"

Lucas frowned confusedly at her. "Is this supposed to be helping me?"

"People like your dad and great-grandfather," Maya paused and looked away from Lucas's gaze hesitantly, "people like my father–they're all charm and nothing else. Do you honestly think they'd be friends with someone like Farkle? Like me? They think they're untouchable and that's why they leave a mess behind them."

"I guess they need a friend who would jump on their back before they could beat someone up," Lucas smirked teasingly. "See, you do listen to me."

"I just didn't want you to do something you'd regret," she remarked. "Plus, you're really tall, and I didn't want to make Janitor Harley tackle you until you calmed down."

"Thanks, Maya," he said sincerely.

"You're welcome," she smiled back.

"That's it?" he asked teasingly. "No Sundance or Ranger Rick?"

"Oh, no," Maya remarked, facing him with an earnest expression. "I am so moved at you sharing your problems with me, that I promise not to call you any of those old nicknames for the entire weekend."

"Wow," Lucas replied, impressed. "Thank you, Maya."

"No problem, Sheriff Hee-Haw," she said, smirking mischievously as she turned towards the art-room door.

"Yeah, I should've seen that one coming," he remarked, smiling fondly at Maya as he followed her out into the hallway.

"Seriously, though," she began, looking at him amusedly. "What kind of person sits in a handicap-only seat on the subway?"

"It was my first week here," Lucas protested.

Maya smirked and raised her eyebrows dubiously. "Whatever you say, cowboy."

* * *

**A/N:** Please review! And for those of you who watch Girl Meets Friendship, I'd love if you tell me how it is :)


	16. Style

**Author's Note: **Well, you all sure had lots of interesting things to say about Girl Meets Friendship haha. I still haven't watched it yet, and I don't plan on it, but at least the Lucaya moments sound cute :)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Girl Meets World...or Boy Meets World...

* * *

_"Midnight,  
You come and pick me up, no headlights  
Long drive,  
Could end in burning flames or paradise"_

_-_Style, Taylor Swift

* * *

Maya doesn't want to be alone.

Normally, she doesn't care–she's used to it, after all. But not tonight, not after all she's been through. She needs to be with_someone–_and not someone like Riley, who's still filled with innocence and naiveté about the world and thinks she can fix every single problem.

She needs someone who's comfortable with just _being_ with her, so she pulls out her phone and texts Lucas.

_SOS._

And even though it's well after midnight, he texts back in less than two minutes, as if he was expecting her to text him all along.

_I'll be there in five minutes, _he replies.

And sure enough, five minutes to a tee, she sees the familiar shadow of his car and is sneaking out her window to meet him. (She_could_ just walk out the front door–it's not like anyone's home to catch her. But it feels more symbolic this way, almost as if she's escaping a cage).

Lucas doesn't say anything as she climbs into the passenger seat, although his eyes watch her concernedly. He hands her his jacket to curl up in as he wordlessly drives off, no real destination in mind.

It isn't until they pass a fourth Bunny-Mart that Maya speaks up.

"My dad called earlier," she explains, voice hollow. "He wants to meet with me and my mom to talk."

Lucas frowns and glances at her for a split-second before focusing back on the road. "About what?"

Maya snorts derisively. "Don't know. The usual, I guess–how great his new family is; how happy he is; how much of a failure I am."

"You're not a failure, Maya," Lucas says automatically. "You know that, right?"

Maya shrugs and looks out the window at the passing streets. "Yeah, sure."

Lucas mutters a swear (the one bad habit he's picked up since moving to New York), and pulls the car over to the curb, shutting the engine off before facing Maya.

"You're _not_ a failure," he repeats earnestly. "You stopped me from beating up Billy in seventh grade, and you always make Riley feel better when she's feeling insecure. Plus, you've gotten an A on every French exam this semester, _and_ you agreed to take tango lessons with Farkle so he can impress Smackle. Does that really sound like someone who's failing to you?"

"I guess not," she admits softly.

"You need to say it," Lucas persists. "Say you're not a failure."

Maya looks over at him hesitantly. "I'm not a failure."

He smiles and nods encouragingly at her. "Again."

"I'm not a failure," she repeats more surely. "I'm not a failure!"

Lucas's grin widens as she raises her hands out the window to scream it again. "You're not."

She smiles at him, and there's something in her eyes, something he's only seen glimpses of before, and he feels himself drawing closer to her, like a magnet pulling towards another.

Suddenly, their lips collide and they're left breathless, hooked on each other's presence. Lucas's hands are tangled in Maya's curls, and her lipstick is smeared over his lips, and it's like nothing has ever felt more right to either of them in their entire lives.

Maya pulls away abruptly, blue eyes as wild-looking as her hair. "Lucas, we need to stop. I can't–"she swallows and looks away from him, and they both know she's pulling away from the moment, from him–"I _won't_ do this to Riley. I'm not that kind of person."

"Riley and I aren't dating," Lucas reminds her thoughtfully. "She hasn't had a crush on me since eighth grade."

"You were her first crush, Lucas," Maya argues stubbornly. "You'll always be special to her."

Lucas sighs and starts the car silently, He knows he's not going to win this argument–not tonight, when it's 1:15 in the morning and Lucas can still feel her lips pressed against his.

He wants to tell her the truth: that Riley has known about his crush on Maya for months, and has been trying to get them together in her various, unsubtle ways, but he knows Maya won't be fully convinced until she hears it from Riley herself. She's the most loyal person he knows, and it just makes him like her more.

"Riley knows we like each other, doesn't she?" Maya asks knowingly as they pull to a stop in front of her apartment.

"Not exactly," Lucas answers, looking at her softly. "She knows _I_ like you, but she keeps trying to figure out how you feel about me."

Maya smirks amusedly. "So that's why she keeps giving me that weird smile whenever we talk about you."

"You talk about me?" Lucas remarks, smirking with amusement.

"Occasionally," Maya replies, smirk widening.

"So do you?" Lucas asks, face hesitant. "Like me, I mean?"

"What do you think, Huckleberry?" Maya teases. "I don't just kiss every guy who picks me up in his car after midnight."

Lucas smiles contentedly. "I want to go out with you, Maya, but if we do, I want you to have no doubts about us," he says sincerely. "Talk to Riley; I'll still be here."

Maya smiles back at him, looking just as happy. "Thanks for the ride, Hee-Haw."

"Anytime," he smirks and tips his imaginary cowboy hat towards her. "Ma'am."

Maya's smile widens as she steps out of Lucas's car and climbs back into her bedroom gracefully. Lucas honks his horn at her once before driving off, and even though her mom is still at work and her Gammy is vacationing down in Florida, she's suddenly feeling a lot less alone.

* * *

**A/N:** Every review gets a Hart &amp; Friar muffin :) Oatmeal, honey and local-harvested berries included!


	17. Jealousy

**Author's Note: **So, I've actually had this chapter written for a while, but I figured now that Josh is getting introduced, it's a good time to show y'all what I thought Josh's character would be like. Also, Jealous Lucas! Just saying...

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Girl Meets World nor the characters :(

* * *

_"I can't remember ever feeling this way,_  
_ A burning feeling rushing all through my veins._  
_ What got in me is something more than envy._  
_ I should be above it I know, but I just can't let it go."_

_-_Jealously, Jennifer Nettles

* * *

Lucas isn't quite sure what exactly he's feeling.

All he knows is that Maya is by the window in the Matthews' apartment, throwing heart-eyes at Riley's uncle, Josh, and he doesn't like it. Not one bit.

Everyone else–even Mr. Matthews–seems to think Maya's little crush is cute, but watching her and Josh laugh and talk together is giving Lucas an ache in the pit of his stomach for some reason.

Maybe it's because Josh is older than them; or maybe, he's just not used to seeing Maya act so goofy and Riley-ish over anything, let alone a _guy_, but every time she flips her hair or bats her eyelashes at Josh, Lucas clenches his jaw tightly and grips the arm of the Matthew's sofa until his knuckles turn white.

Apparently, he's not doing as good a job of hiding his feelings (whatever _these_ feeling are) as he thinks, because a minute later, Riley turns to him concernedly and asks if he's alright.

"Maybe he's just scared of the movie," Maya calls out mockingly, shoulder-to-shoulder with Josh. "Sundance has a weak stomach for blood."

Josh laughs amusedly. "And you don't, I'm guessing?"

"Nope," Maya says, grinning teasingly at him, "how about you, Pennsylvania?"

"I need some air," Lucas says suddenly, assuring Riley he's fine as he strolls outside the apartment steadily. He may look like his calm, country-boy self, but on the inside, his blood is boiling and he's even more angry that he can't figure out what's making him so angry.

_So what Maya has a crush on Josh?_ he thinks to himself as he steps outside into the chill New York air. _It's none of his business._

No one else seems to be as upset as he is, but it's just, it's _their_ game, his and Maya's. And now, she's teasing Josh and coming up with stupid nicknames just for him (seriously, what kind of nickname is Pennsylvania, anyway?), and Lucas feels like he's losing something he never even realized he needed so much.

"Hey."

He turns and there's Maya, stepping outside with an oversized leather jacket that looks suspiciously similar to the one Josh was wearing when he first arrived resting on her shoulders.

"Hey," Lucas says softly, watching silently as she walks over to him.

"Look," Maya says suddenly, placing her hands in her back pockets casually. "I'm sorry about what I said back there. I didn't mean to upset you."

"Riley made you come out here and apologize, didn't she?" he remarks knowingly.

"That obvious, huh?" she asks, blowing out a breath that turns visible in the cold night.

"Pretty much," he replies with a half-hearted smirk.

"Well, she's worried," Maya says matter-of-factly. "And I know with your terrible sense of direction, you could go for a walk up the street and end up in Manhattan."

"So you're here to protect me?" he smirks, raising his eyebrows teasingly.

Maya snorts amusedly. "From yourself, maybe."

There's a brief moment of silence, and before Lucas can even think about what he's saying, he blurts out what's been weighing on his mind for the last hour.

"So you like Josh."

Maya tilts her head back and groans. "That really is the worst kept secret in the world."

Lucas's mouth lifts in a force, sort of half-grin at her discomfort, but doesn't say anything.

"I don't know," she remarks thoughtfully. "He just seems different from any of the guys around here. Not that that means much considering he lives in Philadelphia, and he's Riley's uncle. I guess that's the talent _I _inherited from my mom." Her eyes meet his for a split-second before she averts them towards the ground. "We both fall for guys we shouldn't."

"Guys?" Lucas repeats softly, and when he looks at her profile, his heart lifts in anticipation.

But instead of answering, Maya simply looks back at him and says softly, "You should go back inside; Riley's probably wondering where you are."

He nods, knowing their real conversation is over, and heads back towards the building's main door.

"Are you coming?" he asks when he sees Maya hasn't moved.

"Not yet," she says, sitting down on the stairs and leaning against the stone. "I think I'll stay out here a little longer."

Lucas pauses, taking in the image of the blond in the over-sized jacket, huddling against the cold with a thoughtful look on her face. He still isn't sure what he's feeling, but whatever it is, makes him walk back over and sit down next to her.

"What are you doing?" she asks, surprised.

"I think I'll stay too," he answers nonchalantly. "I mean, I could get lost going to the door and end up in New Jersey. I need you to watch out for me, ma'am."

Maya grins, and in that moment, as they smile at each other in the dark, New York night, Lucas realizes there's nothing more he wants than to spend the whole night out here with this impossible girl, and learn every way to make her smile.

Man, is he in trouble.

* * *

**A/N:** I don't know why, but Lucas fainting at blood is something that I so want to be canon. Anyway, please review, thanks!


End file.
